Sprinkling some fairy magic in Rothesay wood

Craig Borland

A quiet corner of the Skeoch Wood in Rothesay was transformed into a fairy wonderland on Saturday - preparing the ground for a nostalgic lantern parade through the woodland in a few weeks’ time.

More than 30 children used a cariety of materials, and their own artistic abilities, to creat doorways to the world of the fairies at the bottom of tree trunks, while enjoying some toasted marshmallows and a spine-tingling tale or two courtesy of Rothesay’s own storytelling fairy, Alison Clark.

The wood will come alive once again during the September holiday weekend with the revival of a popular feature of Rothesay holidays from years gone by, a twilight walk through the area, with participants’ lanterns lighting the way.

And in case you think the link with the fairy world is merely the result of some publicist’s over-active imagination, you may not realise that the word ‘Skeoch’ translates into English as ‘hawthorn’ - the tree which, according to Celtic, and in particular Irish, mythology, is inhabited by fairy spirits as its guardian.

More photos in this week’s issue of The Buteman - on sale from Thursday, September 3.